Vance’s stint in court — assisted by a far-more-junior assistant district attorney — was part of his office-wide effort requiring senior prosecutors to leave their offices and pitch in against the current backlog in misdemeanor cases. If you have to do it, I’ll do it too, he’s telling his top prosecutors.

“Just one moment, your honor,” Vance fumbled at one point, face reddening slightly as he rustled through a massive stack of case file folders and leaned over to whisper to the far-more-junior assistant district attorney standing at his left.

Though he’s Manhattan’s top DA, it’s been a quarter century since he last stood up on a case as a Manhattan assistant district attorney. But he recovered nicely, asserting crisply, “Your honor, we believe the disposition is appropriate and we would not seek more than one year jail.”

It was the latest in Vance’s hands-on grand tour of the lowest and highest levels of his new office.

Since winning the election to succeed the legendary Robert Morgenthau and taking the helm in January, Vance has spent time watching — and sometimes pitching in — as his prosecutors do everything from draft complaints to make summations at trial.

“It’s an all hands on deck effort to get rid of the backlog in criminal court,” said DA spokeswoman Erin Duggan.